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Regarding Monday night's political theater-slash-debate at CSUN, the print reporters pretty much agreed:
Times: "Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn and his challenger, Antonio Villaraigosa, tangled over trust and leadership Monday night in a scrappy debate dominated by the question of which candidate has the integrity to run City Hall."Daily News: "Focusing the Los Angeles mayoral election on the issue of public trust, Mayor James Hahn and Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa accused each other Monday of failing to take responsibility and for breaking promises to the public."
Associated Press: "The two candidates for mayor relentlessly attacked each other Monday in their first televised debate, wrangling over issues from trust to traffic in caustic, sometimes personal terms."
Business Journal: "Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and challenger Antonio Villaraigosa came out swinging in their first mayoral debate, each saying the other couldn’t be trusted to run Los Angeles."
Daily Breeze: "The two candidates for Los Angeles mayor moved the issue of trust center-stage at their first one-on-one debate Monday, with each saying that voters cannot rely on the other to follow through on their public promises and policy commitments."
Backstage afterward, the candidates stayed on message. Hahn kept referring to his opponent as "Antonio" and said: "No one should be surprised this is going to be a hard-hitting campaign." Villaraigosa repeated that Hahn's administration is the most investigated bunch at City Hall since the 1930s and said: "The biggest difference is leadership. We need a strong leader."
Gotcha Watch: Each candidate got to ask one question of the other. Hahn used his to demand Villaraigosa explain where he would get the money to build the transit projects he promises. Villaraigosa used his to ask if Hahn regretted making his 2001 campaign fundraiser [that would be Troy Edwards, who resigned a year ago] a deputy mayor...Both were cornered into saying they support drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, and Villaraigosa had to explain why his children are in private school.
Three dots:
• Channel 4 and USC pundit Sherry Bebitch Jeffe noted backstage that Hahn is showing more life and stage presence than he did in some of the primary debates: "The mayor accomplished what he was going for"—defending his record, refusing to give in on corruption and raising the trust thing. Going forward, she expects the campaign to get more personal on both sides: "I would like to have a corner on the market for mud repellent."...
• Chief Bratton came out a winner. Villaraigosa: "I believe Bill Bratton is the best police professional in America."...
• So did LAT columnist Steve Lopez, who was mentioned twice on the air, and again backstage...
• A Times editorial says they miss Bob Hertzberg already and wish the vote were being held today...
• Walter Moore, the Republican who finished sixth in the primary with 11,409 votes, sent a mass email claiming credit for being the spoiler who cost Hertzberg a runoff spot. His missive also revealed the names and email addresses of more than 1,000 people on his mailing list.
• Hahn, who pioneered the use of anti-gang injunctions as city attorney, says he will seek a citywide ban on gatherings by gang members. Both the Daily News and Times say he was light on specifics.
• Valley gadfly Hal Netkin is going after Villaraigosa on illegal immigration with 2,000 phone calls a night to voters. He tells the Daily News he doesn't care that Hahn's positions are essentially the same.